BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Yaxel Lendeborg had 23 points and 16 rebounds and Eric Gaines broke out of a 3-point slump to score 20 in UAB's 97-88 victory over No. 19 Memphis on Sunday, handing the Tigers their third straight loss.
The hot-shooting Blazers (13-7, 5-2 American Athletic Conference) upended a reeling Memphis team that had won 18 of their last 19 meetings as Conference USA rivals.
The Tigers (15-5, 4-3) cut a 15-point deficit down to 88-80 on Nae'Qwan Tomlin's 3-pointer with 4:06 remaining, capping a 7-0 spurt.
They didn't score again for nearly three minutes before David Jones' 3 from the left corner cut it to seven. UAB had made just 2 of 6 free throws during that span to leave Memphis' comeback hopes alive, but then Efrem Johnson and Javian Davis each made a pair.
Lendeborg had 10 offensive rebounds and made 9 of 10 free throws. Gaines came into the game on a 0-for-20 3-point slump but made 3 of 4 from deep.
Jones led Memphis with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven steals. He also committed nine turnovers.
Malcolm Dandridge scored a career-high 19 for Memphis on 8-of-11 shooting. Jahvon Quinerly, a transfer from Alabama, had 12 points. Tomlin fouled out with 12 points.
Daniel Ortiz and Johnson both scored 12 for UAB, and Davis added 10.
Memphis had dropped two straight one-possession games after blowing late leads, losing to South Florida (74-73) and Tulane (81-79).
The Blazers took a 45-44 lead into halftime after Gaines' 3-pointer with 2 seconds left, momentum that carried over out of the break.
It was the first time the former C-USA rivals have met as AAC opponents.
